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25 October 2011

When it comes to love, the world is now our oyster - we can choose who to date, live with, marry or divorce.

But it seems having endless options hasn't stopped couples from straying.

A staggering 47 per cent of the British population has admitted to cheating on a partner - whilst 63 per cent have discovered they have been cheated on, a new survey has revealed.

But despite the nation’s infidelities, Brits are a forgiving bunch, with 42 per cent of those surveyed admitting they have taken back a partner after being cheated on.

Some (30 per cent) even confessed they would forgive their partner for having a one night stand.

Commenting on the findings, Sexpert Siski Green, author of How to Blow His Mind in Bed (Piatkus, 2010), said: 'The fact is that most of the population has done it, had it done to them, or at least thought about it.

'Human beings seem to be programmed to crave new things - new flavours in food, new music, new clothes - which is why making a relationship work, can be difficult.

'It means weighing up the pros and cons of an affair and realising that you have far more to lose than to gain with a fling. It also means finding ways to add novelty to your relationship so boredom or complacency doesn't set in.'

Over thirty per cent of respondents said they would let their partner cheat on them if it was with a celebrity.

Proving that she’s still got it, Cheryl Cole took the gong for being the celebrity that people would most likely let their partners cheat on them with (21 per cent), followed by Angelina Jolie (19 per cent) and Kelly Brook (13 per cent).

Motivation to cheat was usually fuelled by alcohol, with a quarter (25 per cent) of respondents blaming being drunk and not in control of their actions as the primary reason for their philandering ways, the MSN research revealed.

One fifth (20 per cent) of respondents said that revenge was their primary motivation, as they sought to get their own back on a cheating partner.